In transition from HBO Max to Max, writer and director credits got lost
The streaming service Max may only be hours into its rollout, but it’s already under fire by Hollywood’s top guilds for the way it credits writers and directors. Instead of individually listing writers, directors and producers, the new Max format had lumped them all together. By Wednesday afternoon, the presidents of the Directors Guild of America and the Writers Guild of America West had issued a strongly worded joint statement condemning the “creator” credit. Warner Bros. Discovery responded with a statement saying it was an oversight in the technical transition from HBO Max to Max and that it will be corrected, but no timeline for the change has been given.
NCAA survey shows 58% of 18- to 22-year-olds are wagering; athlete-only study is set for fall
An NCAA-commissioned survey of 18- to 22-year-olds shows more than half acknowledged placing sports wagers and two-thirds of those who live on college campuses saying they engage in betting. The survey results come less than a month after the baseball coach at Alabama and athletes at Iowa and Iowa State were found to have made wagers in violation of NCAA rules. The purpose of the survey was to explore the prevalence of gambling. Thirty-percent of the 3,500 respondents said their typical wager was between $10 and $20. But 6% said they have lost more than $500 in a single day.
Authorities capture 1 inmate who escaped Ohio prison, but convicted murderer still on the lam
LIMA, Ohio (AP) — Authorities say one of two inmates who escaped from an Ohio prison has been captured in Kentucky after a police pursuit of a stolen car the men were believed to be in ended in a crash and a foot chase. James Lee was captured at the scene but the second inmate, Bradley Gillespie, remained at large. Gillespie has been imprisoned since 2016 for murder, while Lee was serving a sentence he received in 2021 for burglary and safecracking. The two men were reported missing from the Allen Oakwood Correctional Institution in Lima, Ohio on Tuesday, according to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. Officials say Lee was discovered missing during a prisoner count at 11 a.m. Tuesday, prompting an emergency prisoner count that revealed Gillespie was also missing.
Red Sea corals threatened by mass sea urchin die-off, Israeli researchers say
JERUSALEM (AP) — Scientists say that sea urchins in Israel's Gulf of Eilat in the Red Sea are dying at an alarming rate, threatening the sea's prized coral reef ecosystems. The massive die-off first began in the eastern Mediterranean Sea and spread to the neighboring Red Sea. The Tel Aviv University scientists said on Wednesday that an unknown pathogen is killing off black sea urchins, a species critical to maintaining a healthy balance in the reef habitat. Last month, researchers in the U.S. identified a single-celled parasite responsible for a similar mass die-off of sea urchins in the Caribbean that has laid waste to reef ecosystems.
German prosecutor says clues to McCann child disappearance possible at Portuguese dam site
ARADE DAM, Portugal (AP) — Police searching for clues regarding the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, the British child who went missing in 2007 in Portugal, are concentrating operations in several areas around a dam including one where media reports say a lead suspect in the case often stayed. The latest search started Tuesday following a a request by German authorities. The operation is centered around the Arade dam, which is located about 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the resort of Praia da Luz, where the 3-year-old girl was last seen 16 years ago. Germany prosecutor Christian Wolters was cited on German public broadcaster NDR as saying they have indications that they could find evidence at the dam.
95-year-old Australian woman dies after police shoot her with stun gun; officer faces charges
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — A 95-year-old Australian woman has died a week after a police officer shot her with a stun gun in a nursing home as she moved toward him using a walker and carrying a steak knife, in a tragedy that has outraged many Australians. Clare Nowland, who had dementia, had been hospitalized since her skull was fractured when she fell on May 17 after Constable Kristian White shocked her with a stun gun. Police announced her death hours after reporting that White has been ordered to appear in court on assault and other charges. The charges are likely to be upgraded following her death.
Lakers hoping LeBron James decides to continue career after playoff elimination
LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James didn’t meet with the media on the day after the top scorer in NBA history said he needed time to think about his basketball future following the Los Angeles Lakers’ elimination from the Western Conference finals. James has skipped his team’s postseason media exit interviews before, but his decision Tuesday left Lakers fans hanging about his intentions with his enigmatic comments following a four-game sweep by the Denver Nuggets. General manager Rob Pelinka and head coach Darvin Ham say they’ll speak with James soon about his future.
Woman charged in drunk driving killing of bride in South Carolina seeks bond
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Defense attorneys are seeking bond for an alleged drunken driver who police say slammed into newlyweds riding along a South Carolina beach road, killing the bride. News outlets report Jamie Komoroski’s attorneys filed a motion last week that says she poses no flight risk or danger to the community. It requested bond be set at $100,000 with conditions that include attending an inpatient rehabilitation program, remaining supervised by her mother and having no access to a vehicle or alcohol. Komoroski is charged with vehicular homicide and three counts of felony DUI resulting in great bodily injury in the April 28 crash at Folly Beach that killed the bride and injured the groom and two others.
Yellowstone baby bison put to death after visitor picks it up, leading herd to reject it
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (AP) — Yellowstone National Park officials say they had to kill a newborn bison because its herd wouldn’t take the animal back after a man picked it up. Park officials say in a statement the calf became separated from its mother when the herd crossed the Lamar River in northeastern Yellowstone on Saturday. The unidentified man pushed the struggling calf up from the river and onto a roadway. Park rangers tried repeatedly to reunite the calf with the herd but were unsuccessful. Visitors saw the calf walking up to and following cars and people, creating a hazard, so park staff killed the animal.
Sustainable till death do us part, and 45 days beyond; mushroom coffin a last best wish for some
DELFT, Netherlands (AP) — For those seeking to live in the most sustainable way, there now is an afterlife too. A Dutch intrepid inventor is now “growing” coffins by putting mycelium, the root structure of mushrooms, together with hemp fiber in a special mold that, in a week, turns into what could basically be compared to the looks of an unpainted Egyptian sarcophagus. And while traditional wooden coffins come from trees that can take decades to grow and years to break down in the soil, the mushroom versions biodegrades and delivers the remains to nature in barely a month and a half.